Latest news with #CouncilforScienceandEducation
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Russia's Medvedev says Moscow will withstand new EU sanctions, escalate strikes on Ukraine
FILE PHOTO: Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Moscow region's city of Dubna, Russia June 13, 2024. Sputnik/Alexei Maishev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) -Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday predicted the Russian economy would withstand the European Union's latest sanctions package and said Moscow would intensify its strikes against Ukraine. Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, made his comments after the European Union agreed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, including measures aimed at dealing further blows to the Russian oil and energy industry. In a post on his official Telegram channel, Medvedev said the new sanctions would do little to alter Russia's stance on the conflict, just as previous rounds of sanctions had failed to make an impact. Medvedev, who has emerged as one of the Kremlin's top hawks, said Russia planned to intensify its strikes on Ukraine. "Strikes against targets in so-called Ukraine, including Kyiv, will be carried out with increasing force", Medvedev said. U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced a toughened stance against Russia, promising a fresh wave of missiles and other weaponry, including Patriot missile defence systems capable of destroying Russian ballistic missiles. He also gave Russia 50 days to sign up to a ceasefire or face new sanctions. (Reporting by ReutersWriting by Maxim RodionovEditing by Andrew Osborn)
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Russia says Trump's new weapons pledge a signal for Ukraine to abandon peace efforts
FILE PHOTO: Russia's Security Council's Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Moscow region's city of Dubna, Russia June 13, 2024. Sputnik/Alexei Maishev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo By Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn and Dmitry Antonov U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum. Trump announced a toughened stance on Russia's war in Ukraine on Monday, setting a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions. The U.S. also promised more missiles and other weaponry for Kyiv. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, condemned the move. "It is obvious that the Kyiv regime consistently perceives such decisions by the collective West as a signal to continue the slaughter and abandon the peace process," Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow. Russia's all-out war against Ukraine in February, 2022, has led to Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II, with the United States estimating that 1.2 million people have been injured or killed. Moscow says it was forced to launch the war to protect itself from an expanding NATO. Ukraine and most Western governments call Russia's war a colonial-style land grab. Russian forces now control around one fifth of Ukrainian territory and are slowly but steadily advancing across a vast frontline, sustaining what the U.S. believes are heavy losses along the way. Trump, who has made ending the conflict a priority of his administration, is threatening "100% tariffs on Russia" and secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire deal by his 50-day deadline. "An unprecedented number of sanctions and restrictions have been imposed on our country and our international partners. There are so many of them that we view the threat of new sanctions as mundane," Zakharova said. "The language of ultimatums, blackmail, and threats is unacceptable to us. We will take all necessary steps to ensure the security and protect the interests of our country." Both Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Trump have repeatedly cautioned over the escalatory risks of the conflict, which they cast as a proxy war between the world's two biggest nuclear powers. U.S. efforts to broker peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, however, have faced repeated setbacks. Russia says it is ready to hold further talks, but has made it clear it wants all of the territory of four Ukrainian regions it has claimed as its own - terms which Ukraine say are unacceptable and would amount to a capitulation. Moscow is also keen to revive its battered bilateral relationship with the United States if possible, though Trump's latest moves on Ukraine have soured the atmosphere. Trump said on Monday that he was "very unhappy" and "disappointed" with Putin and cast his decision to send more arms to Ukraine as intended to jolt Russia towards peace. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Putin intends to keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engages on his terms for peace, unfazed by threats of tougher sanctions, and that his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance. Earlier on Thursday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia had no plans to attack NATO or Europe. But he said it should respond and, if necessary, launch preemptive strikes if it believed the West was escalating what he cast as its full-scale war against Russia. "We need to act accordingly. To respond in full. And if necessary, launch preemptive strikes," Medvedev was quoted as saying. The remarks by Medvedev, reported in full by the TASS state news agency, indicate that Moscow sees the confrontation with the West over Ukraine escalating after Trump's latest decisions. "What is happening today is a proxy war, but in essence it is a full-scale war (launches of Western missiles, satellite intelligence, etc.), sanctions packages, loud statements about the militarization of Europe," Medvedev said, according to TASS. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Russia does not care about Trump's 'theatrical ultimatum', senior official says
FILE PHOTO: Russia's Security Council's Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Moscow region's city of Dubna, Russia June 13, 2024. Sputnik/Alexei Maishev/Pool via REUTERS/File photo MOSCOW - Russia does not care about U.S. President Donald Trump's "theatrical ultimatum" about slapping sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal in Ukraine, a senior security official said on Tuesday. Trump, sitting beside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, on Monday, announced new weapons for Ukraine and threatened secondary tariffs of 100% on the buyers of Russian exports, of which crude makes up a major chunk. The U.S. president also expressed frustration with Vladimir Putin, saying he did not want to call the Russian leader "an assassin, but he's a tough guy". "Trump issued a theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin," former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a post in English on X. "The world shuddered, expecting the consequences. Belligerent Europe was disappointed. Russia didn't care." The Kremlin has so far not commented on Trump's remarks but said on Monday it was clear that the United States had continued to supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. In Washington, a White House official said Trump's intention is to impose "100% tariffs on Russia" and secondary sanctions on other countries that buy oil from Russia if a peace deal is not struck in 50 days. Eighty-five of the 100 U.S. senators are co-sponsoring a bill that would give Trump the authority to impose 500% tariffs on any country that helps Russia, but the chamber's Republican leaders have been waiting for Trump to give them the go-ahead for a vote. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw acts against 4 law firms, 1 lawyer over seized properties Singapore Air India crash: SIA, Scoot find no issues with Boeing 787 fuel switches after precautionary checks Opinion What we can do to fight the insidious threat of 'zombie vapes' Singapore $230,000 in fines issued after MOM checks safety at over 500 workplaces from April to June Business 'Some cannot source outside China': S'pore firms' challenges and support needed amid US tariffs Opinion Sumiko at 61: Everything goes south when you age, changing your face from a triangle to a rectangle Multimedia From local to global: What made top news in Singapore over the last 180 years? Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years China and India are the biggest buyers of Russian crude. Trump told the BBC that he was "not done" with Putin and that he thought a Ukraine peace deal was on the cards. REUTERS
Straits Times
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Senior Russian official says Trump has started new war on Iran that will strengthen Khamenei
FILE PHOTO: Russia's Security Council's Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Moscow region's city of Dubna, Russia June 13, 2024. Sputnik/Alexei Maishev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Senior Russian official says Trump has started new war on Iran that will strengthen Khamenei MOSCOW - A senior Russian official said on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump had started a new war by attacking Iran that would only strengthen Tehran's leaders by consolidating society around Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Kremlin, which has a strategic partnership with Iran and also maintains close links to Israel, had repeatedly cautioned Washington that U.S. strikes on Iran would plunge the entire region into the "abyss". "Trump, who came in as a peacemaker president, has started a new war for the U.S.," said Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, adding that "with this kind of success, Trump won't win the Nobel Peace Prize". "Iran's political regime has been preserved, and it is highly likely that it has become stronger," Medvedev said. "The people are consolidating around the spiritual leadership, even those who did not sympathise with it." Medvedev also said that Iran's nuclear infrastructure did not appear to be affected by the U.S. strikes, and that the U.S. was in danger of being drawn into a ground operation. President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly offered to mediate between the United States and Iran, though the Kremlin chief last week refused to discuss the possibility that Israel and the United States would kill Khamenei. Putin said that Israel had given Moscow assurances that Russian specialists helping to build two more reactors at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran would not be hurt in air strikes. Russia's foreign ministry strongly condemned the U.S. attacks which it said had undermined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The United Nations Security Council must respond, Moscow said. "It is already obvious that a dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security," it said. "The risk of the conflict spreading in the Middle East, which is already gripped by multiple crises, has increased significantly." While Moscow has bought weapons from Iran for its war in Ukraine and signed a 20-year strategic partnership deal with Tehran earlier this year, their relationship since the 16th century, when Muscovy officially established relations with the Persian Empire, has at times been troubled. Inside Russia, there were calls for Russia to come to the aid of its partner and to supply Iran with the same support which Washington had given to Ukraine - including air defence systems, missiles and satellite intelligence. "It's time for us to help Tehran," said Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev. "And at the same time, to offer the United States and Iran diplomatic assistance in peace negotiations by appointing a special envoy for this. Two can play at this game." Jailed Russian nationalist Igor Girkin said that unless Russia supported Iran, the Islamic Republic would be bombed into the Stone Age by the United States and Israel and then plunged into chaos. "If Iran does not receive the necessary support from its allies, Russia and China, and very serious and significant support, then, most likely, within a month, its enemies will achieve this," Girkin said on Telegram. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russia's Medvedev says Trump started new war for US after attack on Iran
FILE PHOTO: Russia's Security Council's Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Moscow region's city of Dubna, Russia June 13, 2024. Sputnik/Alexei Maishev/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Russia's Medvedev says Trump started new war for US after attack on Iran MOSCOW - Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump had started a new war for the U.S. by attacking Iran. U.S. forces struck Iran's three main nuclear sites, Trump said late on Saturday, and he warned Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace. "Trump, who came in as a peacemaker president, has started a new war for the U.S.," Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that "with this kind of success, Trump won't win the Nobel Peace Prize". The leader of Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) Leonid Slutsky said the strikes "had no military reason for the U.S. and cannot be justified under international law". "The consequences of the escalation threaten to go beyond the region. Washington understands the inevitability of Tehran's response. All this brings the spiral of confrontation to a new level and increases the risks of World War III," Slutsky, who heads the State Duma international affairs committee, wrote on Telegram. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
